


make my wish come true

by flicker_album



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Fluff fluff and more fluff, Friends to Lovers, Louis Tomlinson Calls Harry Styles Pet Names, Louis' Birthday, M/M, Niall and Shawn are only mentioned oops I'm sorry, Pining, Roommates, i keep forgetting to tag stuff I’m sorry!, zarry friendship - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 01:10:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16822120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flicker_album/pseuds/flicker_album
Summary: “We need to start decorating. For Christmas.” Louis says it in a tone that makes it seem like it should be so obvious to Harry.Harry starts laughing. “Okay, Lou. We will start decorating for Christmas over a month early. Sure.”Or the one where Louis starts decorating for Christmas in November and Harry indulges him.





	make my wish come true

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

Harry wakes up to the sound of something very heavy being dropped on the floor. At least, that’s what it sounds like. He warily opens his eyes and checks the time on his phone that’s charging next to his bed. 8.13 am. Who the fuck is throwing things around at _eight-thirteen in the fucking morning?_ He’s still tired and it’s Saturday so he rolls back over, intending to sleep through whatever is happening outside his bedroom door.

Apparently fate has other plans for him. Fate being a 5’9”, 26 year old male wearing adidas joggers and one of Harry’s hoodies. “Wake up, love!”

Harry pulls the duvet up higher, not even bothering to open his eyes. “Not happening. It’s Saturday and I want to sleep. What the hell are you doing anyway? Actually, don't tell me.”

“Too bad. You’re getting up and you’re helping me. Otherwise I will jump on you.” Harry can feel hands grabbing at the duvet again, but he keeps it firmly pulled up to his chin.

“Louis, don’t you dare jump on- fuck!” Harry’s eyes shoot open when Louis’ body collides with his.

“Oh, look! You’re awake! Now you can help me.” Louis makes himself comfortable sitting on top of Harry’s legs. ”It’s time to start decorating.” His voice is far too cheerful for so early in the morning.

It may be because Harry was so rudely awaken earlier than he planned on getting up, but he cannot think of what could be coming up that they’d need to decorate for. “It’s…” he pauses to lean over and check his phone, “the 10th of November. What the fuck do we need to decorate for? Did you forget where we live, Lou? We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.” He pauses again. “Also, please get off me.”

Louis rolls his eyes but does move to get off of Harry’s legs. He sits next to him, legs dangling off the edge of the bed, waiting for Harry to sit up so he can continue.

“We need to start decorating. For Christmas.” He says it in a tone that makes it seem like it should be so obvious to Harry.

Harry starts laughing. “Okay, Lou. We will start decorating for Christmas _over a month_ early. Sure.” He ups the sarcasm in his voice so it’s dripping off of every word.

“I’m serious,” Louis huffs out. “It’s going to be Christmas _and_ my birthday so we have to get prepared. My mum gave me all of these boxes of decorations that she doesn’t use anymore.” He’s looking at Harry expectantly. “I’m having my party the weekend before my birthday. I’m pretty sure it’s the 22nd but I’ll have to make sure. Anyway, that gives us enough time to decorate today, then get a tree in a week or two so it’s still alive by the time my party, birthday, and Christmas come around.”

Harry can tell Louis has this all planned out, but he’s still having a hard time wrapping his head around it, around the fact they’ll decorating for Christmas so early. “Umm, okay. I think I understand, but... can we finish this conversation over breakfast?” He realizes that if Louis wouldn’t have woken him up, his hunger pains probably would’ve soon enough.

“Sure thing, babe. You’re playing chef.” With that, Louis jumps off Harry’s bed and saunters out of the room.

“Not fair,” Harry calls after him, “I always have to be the chef!” He lays back down on his bed, giving himself a moment alone before all the decorating that must be done.

When Harry first met Louis it was during his spring term at uni. He was in his last year of studying music and the professor had paired students up to do a partner project. Why his teacher thought students in their final year needed to have a partner for a project was beyond him, but it led him to meeting Niall, a cheerful brunette who befriended him as soon as they were grouped together.

Soon enough they were hanging out beyond the classroom and Harry started meeting some of Niall’s mates. Liam, Niall’s roommate, was the human version of a puppy. Zayn, Liam’s boyfriend, was mysterious, quiet, and very attractive. But then he met Louis. Harry wasn’t sure he had ever been attracted to someone so quickly in his lifetime. Louis was like sunshine; bright, warm, and inviting. Harry wanted to spend hours getting to know every detail about him. 

The five of them fit together seamlessly, despite Harry and Niall still being in uni while the other three had graduated already. Liam had studied music, graduating the year before Harry and Niall. The three of them often got together to have ‘jam sessions,’ as Niall called them. Zayn had also graduated the year before with a degree in art & design. Despite his dark exterior, he was the one Harry quickly realized he could talk about anything with. They could have long, meaningful conversations until the early morning. It was a type friendship Harry had never experienced before. Louis had graduated the year before Liam and Zayn, with his degree in education. Even though Harry had essentially just made four new friends, Louis became his full-on, proper best mate.

It just kind of happened. His friendship with Louis was all three of his other new friendships rolled into one. He was the first person Harry went to with any sort of news; good, bad, or in between. By the time term ended, Louis was in need of a roommate. Zayn had been his previous one but Liam had (finally) asked if he wanted to live with him. That meant that not only would Louis be needing a roommate but so would Niall. But Niall never asked Harry if he wanted to move in with him, just assumed Louis would be his first choice. He loved Niall, he truly did, but his friendship with Louis was unsurpassed.

He officially moved in with Louis during Easter hols. He had a week before he had to start his paid internship at a small record label and Louis had time off from his work as a sixth form drama teacher. There was a lot of moving to be done but luckily they were all willing to help each other out. Niall was only left without a roommate for a few weeks before an exchange student named Shawn came looking for a place to rent. Although he is a few years younger than them, he still occasionally comes and hangs out when they have a lads night. 

All in all, Harry really loves his life right now. He has a great group of friends, a great job, and a great family he can visit as much as he wants. The only thing he wishes he could change is his relationship with Louis. He absolutely loves being his best mate but he can’t deny the fact he’s been attracted to Louis since the very first time he met him. It all gets very confusing in his head. Some days it feels like Louis is flirting so obviously with him and other days he feels like Louis sees him as just a best mate. They can be very tactile with each other, always cuddling up on the couch or touching each other just to keep contact, but Louis does that with their other mates as well.

He can’t decide if moving in with Louis was good or bad considering how much he fancies him. Harry tries to keep his flirting to a minimum in case Louis finds it odd or doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. If Louis knows, he hasn’t said anything to him and Harry has never said anything to any of the other lads but he’s sure they’ve figured it out by now. Sometimes it’s just hard to keep his heart eyes at bay.

Harry would do just about anything for Louis, which apparently includes decorating for Christmas in fucking November _and_ cooking him breakfast, all in the same day. Sighing, he figures he better get up before Louis comes in to jump on him a second time. Although he can’t say he hates the feeling of Louis’ body on top of his.

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

After he makes Louis’ favorite, egg on toast, for both of them he decides he can ask again as to why they have to decorate so early.

“It started when I was little, I think,” Louis tells him while finishing up the last few bites of his breakfast. “The first few years of my life it wasn’t like I knew my birthday was Christmas Eve. But once I got older and started getting sibling after sibling, mum just figured it was a way for all of us to enjoy the holiday spirit a little longer. She never wanted me to feel like my birthday was getting looked over just because it was Christmas. So she started decorating earlier so the little ones could have their festivities and once it was time for my birthday, all Christmas talk was put on hold.”

“Does she still decorate early now that you’re not living there?” Harry could definitely see Jay keep the tradition alive even though Louis is grown up and moved out.

“Not as early but I think she still does it because she knows I love it. I always start putting things up at the beginning of November. Have done ever since I’ve moved out, which you would’ve known had you met me before my birthday last year!”

Harry just laughs. “Lou, it wasn’t up to me when I got met you! That was…” he drops his voice to a whisper, “fate.”

Louis gives him a thoughtful look and in a soft voice says, “Yeah. Fate.” A small smiles graces his lips then he continues, in his normal voice. “Anyway. My mum always liked to tell the story of when I was little and saw people’s houses all lit up in fairy lights. I thought they were celebrating my birthday.”

“Aww, you must’ve been so cute as a child!” Harry already knows Louis has been cute his entire life but it’s nice to see the small blush appear on his cheeks at Harry’s comment.

“Still am cute,” Louis grumbles.

“Can’t argue with that,” is all Harry says, not looking at Louis. He finishes up his last bit of food and gets up to clear away his rubbish. As he stands he glances over to where Louis has finished eating but is still sat. Harry thinks maybe the flush on his cheeks is darker than normal. Then again maybe he’s just imagining things. They both make flirty comments like this all the time with each other.

Shrugging it off Harry just decides to clear Louis’ plate for him since he seems to be lost in his thoughts. The movement causes Louis to snap out of his trance and smile up at Harry. “Thanks, love.”

That’s another thing that blurs the lines in Harry’s head. The amount of pet names Louis calls him. If it’s not _love_ it’s _babe_ . If it’s not _babe_ it’s _sweet cheeks_. The list goes on and on. They make Harry’s heart skip a little beat almost every time he hears them. It’s the one thing that he can say Louis reserves just for him, despite him saying he calls everyone by pet names. Harry hasn’t heard Louis refer to anyone else as love, except maybe someone in his family.

Louis stands and presses a hand against the small of Harry’s back. “When you’re done come meet me in the living room. I’m going to start going through the boxes.”

Harry hums in response and continues to clean up after their breakfast. He starts getting lost in his thoughts again. _Maybe I should tell Louis how I feel. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this secret._ He doesn’t get too much longer to think about it before he hears his name being called from the other room.

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

They work all morning putting up Louis’ decorations. His excitement is rubbing off onto Harry. They pull Santa hats out from one of the boxes and Harry insists they wear them the rest of the day. By afternoon they’re both giggling and singing along to the Christmas music Louis had playing.

Harry collapses onto the couch and glances at the last box left on the floor. It’s the one containing all the things they’ll need for the Christmas tree but since they don’t have that yet it can stay put and they can relax.

Louis had offered to make them some lunch while Harry found something for them to watch on Netflix. He wasn’t sure what Louis wanted to watch so he just turned on Friends, something they’ve both seen plenty. That way they didn’t have to really pay attention and could truly relax.

He turns on whatever episode they previously left off on and as Louis comes into the room he announces, “Oh I love this one.” Harry glances up at the tv and realizes it’s the episode where Rachel tells Ross she’s still in love with him despite him having just married Emily. It pulls at a string in Harry’s heart, making him once again wonder if he should tell Louis about his feelings.

They watch in silence until they’re done eating. When he’s done, Louis turns his body on the couch so he can throw his legs over Harry’s lap. Harry’s hands come to rest on Louis’ shins, gently massaging his legs. On screen Rachel is professing her love for Ross when Louis asks, “If someone was in love with you, would you want them to tell you?”

The question takes Harry by such a surprise that it makes his heart race. “Uhh…” He’s not sure how he should respond to that, especially given his current situation.

“I think I’d want to know.” Louis doesn’t wait for Harry to answer. “I mean, like Rachel says in the show, who doesn’t like to hear that they’re loved?”

Harry considers that for a second. “True. But what if you’re not in love with them back?” This conversation is hitting so close to home for him but he still wants to know Louis’ answer. Maybe it’ll help him make a decision.

Louis shrugs. “That doesn’t mean I won’t still have the same friendship I had with them before. It’s not the best comparison but look at Ross and Rachel,” he explains pointing at the television. “They dated for, what, a year? They broke up because he cheated on her and they’re still friends. If someone says they’re in love with me and I don’t feel the same, I’m not going to treat them differently.”

A small weight feels like it’s lifted off of Harry’s shoulders. He’s glad to know that if ( _when_ ) he decides to tell Louis they will still remain friends no matter what. It’s one of the things he is most worried about; losing Louis’ friendship.

“What about you?” Louis’ soft voice pulls Harry back to their conversation. He glances over at Harry then back at the tv. “Would you want to know?”

“Yeah. I think I would.”

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

Louis decides to wait a few weeks before getting the Christmas tree. Harry’s family rarely ever had a real tree so Louis wants to make sure he won’t kill it before Christmas, which was fair. It’s the 8th of December now so there’s only a few weeks to keep it alive. Harry thinks he’s up for the challenge, as simple as it was.

“Can you remind me why we’re going to a tree farm?” Harry asks Louis the Friday night they decide to get a tree. They live in a flat and neither of them have cars. There was absolutely no way they are going to be able to get a tree back home.

“Well I actually have the tree being delivered tomorrow since we will both be home. I just thought it’d be a fun thing to do. Go to the tree farm and walk around. It’s the whole aesthetic.” Louis’ voice is quiet, almost nervous sounding, as he pulls on his coat and his eyes refuse to meet Harry’s.

 _Is this a date_? It’s the only that’s running through Harry’s head as he’s getting on his own coat and putting a beanie on over the short curls on his head. He isn’t sure and he’s sure as hell not about to just ask Louis if it is one. He thinks he may need a long talk with Zayn after this outing. One where he actually tells someone about his feelings for Louis before he bursts at the seams.

As they make their way to the Christmas tree farm, Harry looks out the window at the world passing by. Louis ordered an Uber because he didn’t want to be arsed with public transport on a Friday night. Harry’s mind still seems to be racing about whether or not this is a date so he decides he definitely needs to talk to Zayn when they get back. He unlocks his phone to send him a text.

 **_Harry:_ ** _hey can i come over later? to talk?_  
**_Zayn:_ ** _sure mate, what’s up?_  
**_Harry:_ ** _i’ll tell you later, a lot to talk about_  
**_Zayn:_ ** _okay let me know when you’ll be here  
_ **_Harry:_ **_okay_

Harry pockets his phone and sees Louis looking at him from his peripheral. He turns and smiles at him, which gets him a smile in return. It makes his own grin bigger, making his dimples more prominent. Louis loves them and tells him often. Harry watches as Louis brings a hand up to poke a finger at his left dimple. “We’re almost there, love.”

Once again, all Harry can do is smile at Louis. He’s so gone for this boy.

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

Since Harry’s family had never had a real Christmas tree, he never had a reason to go to a Christmas tree farm. But once they arrive he’s absolutely mesmerized. There’s so much to look at and he doesn’t know where to start. He’s standing there looking at the rows and rows of trees, illuminated by hanging fairy lights. There’s a barn like building off to the side, also lit up with lights, that looks warm and inviting. And the _smell_. Pine, fir, spruce. It’s overwhelming in the best possible way.

He feels Louis press a hand to the small of his back and ask, “Where to first?”

“I… I honestly don’t know. This all looks so beautiful.” Harry spins around in a circle taking it all in again. He stops right next to Louis who is looking at him with a fond gaze.

“How about we check out the shop first? They sell decorations and gifts but they also have a small cafe where we could get tea or hot chocolate. That way we can drink it while we walk around and look at the trees?”

Harry bravely grabs Louis’ hand in his own. “That sounds perfect.”

They walk hand-in-hand to the shop, only dropping their hands once they enter. Harry was right, it is warm and inviting in there. He reluctantly had to let go of Louis’ hand to take off his beanie. It was a typical November night, probably about 5°C or 6°C, but Harry felt overwhelmed with heat. Although part of that might have been from the thrill of actually holding Louis’ hand.

The shop is decently sized and has a natural flow to the aisles, starting with ornaments and tree decorations, to standard household decorations, to gifts. At the back Harry can see the cafe Louis had mentioned. He can smell the different drinks being made, the scents mixing in with the fresh cut tree smell. There’s another door back near the cafe which he presumes leads to the actual trees for sale. Harry starts following Louis down the aisles, standing a little too close together. His excuse, if Louis should ask, is that he doesn’t want to bump into anything breakable. He can be clumsy so it’s viable. There’s Christmas music playing quietly from a small sound system near the entrance. Just enough to hear it but not loud enough to be overwhelming. The whole atmosphere is cozy and Harry loves it.

Louis is the first one to break their silence. “I don’t really plan on buying anything, just so you know. I just like looking at all the decorations.”

Harry is endeared. “That’s fine, Lou. I didn’t really plan on it either, unless I found a good gift for someone.”

As they continue walking, Louis starts humming along to the song that’s playing. Harry recognizes it almost immediately after hearing Louis. It’s Mariah Carey’s _All I Want for Christmas Is You._

“I love this song,” Harry says softly.

Louis turns from where he’s looking at an ornament and smiles. “Yeah, me too. It’s a classic, innit?”

It’s something akin to fate when Harry glances over to his left and sees a small Christmas tree displaying wood ornaments for sale. The one proudly hung in the middle says _All I Want For Christmas is You_ on it. He has to buy this for Louis. It’s a perfect way for Harry to confess his feelings to Louis. And it’s a gift. Perfect. He makes sure Louis isn’t looking when he takes it off of the tree.

Louis doesn’t realize Harry has been carrying the ornament around until they get to the back of the store. There are two tills, one for the shop and one for the cafe. Louis starts walking towards the cafe when Harry stops and tells him he needs to pay for the gift.

“Oooh, let me see! What is it? Who is it for?” Louis asks, eyes lighting up, reaching his hand out to grab at the ornament.

“Lou!” Harry swats his hand away, keeping the ornament up close to his chest. “It’s a gift. I’m not telling you what it is!”

“So it’s for me?” Louis would probably deny it but he absolutely bats his eyelashes at Harry.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Harry shrugs, trying to act nonchalant. “Now I’m going to go pay for this while you go over and order our drinks. I would like a hot chocolate please.” He quickly turns towards the other till so that he doesn’t accidentally give in and show Louis what he’s buying. He has pretty much decided on telling Louis how he feels about him but he isn’t sure he wants to do it _now_.

Once they get their drinks, they head out the back door towards all the trees. Again, Harry is taken aback by how beautiful everything is all lit up. This is really putting him in the holiday spirit, more so than he already was.

“I know I said this before, but this is a really beautiful place, Louis.” They’re walking side by side again, up and down rows of trees, passing by couples and families searching for the perfect one, hearing little kids exclaim they need to take the biggest one possible back to their house. It’s very domestic, the exact thing Harry has been craving to have with Louis.

The hand Louis isn’t using to carry his tea reaches out to grab Harry’s free hand. “I’m glad you like it, love. It’s another tradition my family did. Well, we tried to do it every year. It was a bit harder once we had a full household. It’s nice to come here since I haven’t been to a tree farm in a while. Never had anyone to go with.” The last part is said with slight wistfulness.

Harry laces their fingers together and squeezes Louis’ hand. “I’ll always go with you.”

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

When they arrive back at their flat, it’s nearing 9.30 at night. Louis’ been yawning since their ride home and tells Harry he probably is just going to head to bed.

“That’s fine, Lou. I told Zayn I’d come over for a bit anyway.” Liam and Zayn’s flat is only a few blocks away, luckily, so Harry doesn’t mind going over so late. He watches as Louis kicks his shoes off and hangs up his coat, choosing to leave his own on since he will be leaving again.

“Yeah? What are you two gonna talk about tonight? How the universe was created? Maybe some conspiracy theories?” Louis asks, knowing how deep their conversations can get.

Harry laughs, “Not sure yet. It’ll be nice to see him and hang out for a bit. But don’t worry, I’ll be back soon enough. Have to get enough sleep to decorate the tree tomorrow.”

“You’re damn right!” Louis walks over to where Harry is still standing, hands in his coat pockets. “Well, I’ll see you bright and early. I will definitely be waking you up so be prepared.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Harry gives Louis’ nose a little boop, just because he finds it so cute.

Louis nods then goes to turn away before he stops himself. Instead he wraps his arms around Harry and hugs tightly. Harry’s hands slip out of his pockets so he can hug him back. “What’s this for, Lou?”

Sighing, Louis says, “Thank you for coming with me tonight and indulging me in all my Christmas craziness.”

Harry hugs a little tighter. “Not crazy. And don’t thank me, it was so much fun. I would gladly go with you again.”

Louis gives Harry one last squeeze and let’s go of Harry. In the blink of an eye, he leans up and presses a soft kiss on Harry’s cheek. “Have fun with Zayn, love. See you in the morning.” Then he’s walking towards his bedroom while Harry stands there stunned.

He’s not sure how long he’s stood by the door in a trance after that. It could be one minute, it could be ten. He can still feel the press of Louis’ warm lips to his cheek. He’s only pulled out of it when he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. Getting it out, he sees it’s Zayn.

 **_Zayn:_ ** _mate you still coming round??? i can go to yours if it’s easier_  
**_Harry:_ ** _i’m heading to yours now. you don’t have to leave your boy  
_ **_Zayn:_ **_i’m surprised you’re leaving yours_

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

Harry arrives at Zayn and Liam’s flat not much longer after that. The weather had gotten a little bit colder since the time they were at the tree farm so he walks faster to get there. He knows at least Zayn is awake so he doesn’t bother knocking, just opens the door and walks in. Although he does call out, “Hope you guys aren’t shagging!”

He doesn’t see either of them for a minute so he figures it’s a possibility. He makes his way to the living room couch while he waits, messing about on his phone. Another few minutes pass by until he sees Liam emerge from the bedroom wearing pyjama pants and one of Zayn’s hoodies.

“Ah, so you were shagging! I should’ve known,” Harry points a finger at Liam. “You two are insatiable.”

“We were not shagging, thank you very much.” Liam’s grumbles. ”Zayn isn’t even in the bedroom, he’s in the shower. Or he was. He should be done by now.” He glances back towards the closed bathroom door.

Almost as if on cue, Zayn walks out of the bathroom. He’s shirtless, just wearing a pair of joggers, rubbing a towel over his wet hair. “Oh Harry, you’re finally here.”

“Yeah, Louis and I got back not long ago. I came straight here after.” _And here comes the interrogation._

Liam looks confused, “Got back from where?”

“A Christmas tree farm. Louis wanted to go,” Harry shrugs, trying to show little emotion before he’s ready to tell Zayn everything.

Now it’s Zayn’s turn to look confused. “How the fuck did you get a tree all the way back to your flat? You know you can just get them delivered.”

“I know,” Harry tells him, rolling his eyes. “We are getting it delivered tomorrow. Louis wanted to go for the whole aesthetic of the thing. But it was really beautiful there. We had a lot of fun.” _Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush_.

“Sounds like a fun date,” Liam smiles warmly at him before looking over at Zayn. “Maybe we should do something like that, Z.”

Harry blanches at that but Zayn takes it in stride. “Sure, babe. I’ll ask Louis where they went. Unless Harry wants to tell me but he seems to be stunned into silence right now. Probably because you called it a date, which it _was_.” He gives a pointed look at Harry before looking back to Liam. “Good night, Li. I’ll come to bed when Harry leaves.”

Liam kisses Zayn and bids them both goodnight. Harry thinks he should reply to him but he’s still mulling over Liam’s words. _Sounds like a fun date._ It’s ringing in his ears over and over again.

Zayn must figure he’s probably going to be the one to start this conversation. “So what did you want to talk about mate?”

“Do you think it was a date?” Harry asks in a rush. He needs an outside opinion on this. Harry trusts him and knows that Zayn has known Louis for longer than he has.

“I already said I thought it was. Do you think it was one?” Zayn’s voice is gentle and quiet.

“I… I don’t know. I think so? Maybe? I’m not sure.” His voice sounds confused even to his own ears.

“Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

Harry knows Zayn means the beginning of the night. He knows he’s asking for the specific events of tonight to see if he thinks it was a date. But instead Harry takes it all the way back and starts at the true beginning of his friendship with Louis.

“I think I’m in love with Louis. I think… I think I have been since I first met him.”

Zayn freezes in the middle of putting his sweatshirt on. “Uhh…” He pauses again. “I think I need a beer. Do you want a beer?”

Harry nods and watches as Zayn goes to the kitchen to grab a few beers. Once he’s out of eyesight, Harry groans and falls over sideways on the couch. He’s really not sure he should have anything to drink since he’s already feeling jumpy with nerves. He’s never told anyone about his feelings for Louis. Not even him mum. Although she tried a few times to get him to spill the beans, but he just brushed it off as them being best friends and roommates.

He hears Zayn coming back into the living room so he situates himself to a sitting position on the couch leaving room for Zayn to sit next to him. The both take swigs of their beer before starting in on what will be an emotional conversation, at least for Harry.

Zayn tries again, “Do you want to start at the beginning?”

Harry sighs and sets his beer down on the table. “Have I been obvious about it? I really hope I haven’t. I don’t know if Louis knows but I’m not ready for him to know yet. I do plan on telling him soon. I even bought a gift that’s kind of supposed to help me say it.”

“Woah, let’s slow down for a second. Can I ask a few questions?” Harry nods so Zayn continues. “You’ve felt this way about him since you met him but never told him? Why not? And why now? What’s changed that makes you want to tell him? I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’m just trying to understand more and to help.”

Taking a deep breath, Harry starts answering the questions. “I don’t really know why I never said anything when I first met him. We were both single and basically have been since then. I guess it was because I didn’t know if he was flirting with me or if he was just extra friendly. Even still it’s hard to tell. You know how he is. He will cuddle basically anyone. The only thing I know for sure is that he doesn’t call anyone else pet names like he does with me. At least, not that I’ve noticed.”

He stops to catch his breath since he’s talking a bit faster than normal, his nerves getting the best of him. “And why now? I’m not sure either. I know it’s getting harder to not say it, to not have him know. We even kind of had a talk about it.” Zayn raises his eyebrows. “Not about my specific feelings, it was something to do with a show we were watching. He asked me if I’d want to know if someone was in love with me. He said he’d want to know because even if he didn’t love them back he would still be their friend and nothing would change. It kind of gave me courage? That even if he doesn’t reciprocate my feelings we will hopefully still be as good of mates as we are now. Because I’m not sure I could lose my friendship with him. It’d be like two heartbreaks in one.”

Zayn doesn’t respond to any of that yet. Just asks, “And tonight?”

Harry lets his head fall back on the couch for a second before looking back at Zayn. “I’m pretty sure it was a date, but he never said it was one. We held hands twice. _Twice_ . That’s where I found the gift for him but I had to hide it so he wouldn’t see it. He’s been wanting to do all this Christmas stuff and when we were there tonight he said he hadn’t been to a tree farm in a while because he never had anyone to go with. That sounds rather romantic, right? And when we got home he hugged me and thanked me for going. Then he _kissed me on the cheek!_ I probably would’ve stood there in the same spot all night had you not texted me.” He groans and covers his face with his hands. “What does this all mean? What do you think?”

“I think,” Zayn starts off slowly, “that it’s good that you have decided to tell him. Don’t worry about being obvious. Honestly, I could tell there was some attraction there. But I never thought it went as deep as you being in love with him. ” Harry breathes out a sigh of relief at that. “I also don’t think you need to worry about him not having feelings back. Like I said, I realized there was some attraction there but it seems mutual. The way you two are together… it always seems more than platonic.”

Harry doesn’t know what to say back to that so he just ponders instead. He’s made his mind up; he’s telling Louis. He just doesn’t know when. He’s forever grateful for Zayn listening to him ramble about this. It feels like another weight is lifted off of him. His main reason for telling Zayn wasn’t for advice, although that is helpful. He just really needed to tell someone before he bursts and tells Louis at the wrong time.

Zayn must realize Harry isn’t going to talk about that subject anymore and switches the topic to something else, something lighthearted. They’ve done enough deep, meaningful conversation for tonight.

They continue talking until about 11.00. When Harry realizes the time he tells Zayn he should be leaving, knowing Louis will be waking him up at arse o’clock to decorate the tree once it arrives. He’s not really bothered by having to wake up early. It just means more time to spend with Louis.

Zayn walks him to the door and gives him a short but comforting hug before he heads out. “It’ll be good, mate. Don’t worry,” he tells Harry.

“I can’t promise not to worry, but I think it’ll be good, yeah. No matter what Louis’ response is, he’ll still be my best mate.”

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

The next morning Harry assumes he’ll be woken up by Louis jumping on him as per usual. Instead he feels a feather light tough going down the side of his face. Fingers tangle into his hair and scratch at his scalp. He hears Louis’ soft voice, “Haz, love. It’s time to get up. The tree is going to be delivered soon.”

Harry’s eyes flutter open and he sees Louis, crouched down next to Harry’s bed. “C’mon love!” He says a little bit louder. “I’ve already got the living room cleaned but I will need your help once the tree gets here.”

“I’m not going to stay awake if you keep playing with my hair,” Harry tells him, eyes almost shutting again. “What time is it anyway?”

“Just about 9. The tree should be here by 9.30 and I figured you’d want to eat breakfast before.” Harry smiles at Louis’ thoughtfulness.

“Mmm, okay Lou. What do you want me to make?”

Louis gently pulls his hand away from Harry’s hair, causing the latter to force his eyes open again. “Actually, I was going to make breakfast. Let you rest a little bit more. But I had to wake you up to ask what you want me to make.”

Harry starts to sit up. “You don’t have to do that. I don’t mind making breakfast.”

“Love, it’s fine. I want to do this for you. What would you like?”

“Anything you make will be perfect.” Harry’s being sappy but it’s true. He doesn’t care what Louis makes. It’s already such a sweet gesture that he doesn’t need to make anything fancy.

“Okay, well why don’t you meet me in the kitchen in a few minutes?”

Harry tells him he will be there soon and watches as Louis walks out of his room. It’s rare that Louis makes breakfast. He’s not a bad cook, he just always says Harry makes things taste better. And Harry doesn’t mind cooking for Louis since he loves domesticity.

Once Harry can start smelling whatever Louis has decided to cook for them, he decides he should get out of bed. He throws on the sweatpants and t shirt he left on the floor last night and shuffles down the hallway. When he gets to the kitchen he stops and watches Louis for a minute, just admiring him. Louis really is a great person to just sit and admire. Well, stand and admire. His hair is still messed up from sleep. It’s getting a bit long but Harry thinks that’s because Louis doesn’t want to cut his when Harry is trying to grow his own back out. An unspoken solidarity. Harry also suspects Louis has stolen joggers from him because the bottoms are rolled up once or twice around his ankles. Harry’s not that much taller than Louis but his clothes can still look big on him. Louis just says he likes how comfy they are (and Harry doesn’t mind sharing).

Louis turns around and smiles when he sees Harry standing there watching. “Perfect timing! The bacon sandwiches are done. Would you like a cuppa?”

Harry nods while making his way to the table. He watches as Louis pours the tea and puts the sandwiches on plates. He sets one of each down in front of Harry before getting his own and sitting down at the table.

They both eat in comfortable silence, save for Harry’s “Thank you” when Louis gave him his food. Harry is usually always in his head, thinking about too much, but his talk with Zayn last night cleared his _should I tell Louis or not?_ thoughts. From looking at Louis though, Harry thinks he might be stuck in his head a little bit. His eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes downcast, only looking at his plate or his tea.

Luckily they’re both done before the knock on the door comes, signaling the tree being delivered. They help get the tree into the stand and fill it with water before thanking the people who carried it in.

“Well,” Harry looks at Louis, “Let’s get decorating.”

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

It takes them until well into the afternoon to finish decorating the tree because they keep getting distracted. First Harry decides they _need_ hot cocoa to help them decorate. Then Louis starts telling Harry the backstory to each and every ornament he pulls out of the box. Harry would find it annoying if it was anyone else, but with Louis he just finds it endearing. Another reason why he likes him so much.

By the time they are well and truly done, the sun has set. The only thing lighting up the room is the fairy lights. Harry thinks it looks beautiful and he tells Louis as much. Looking between Harry and the lit up tree, Louis breathes out, “Yeah, beautiful.”

“What now?” Harry asks. They’re officially done with decorating for Christmas and he feels a bit… lost.

“Now I think we should order some really delicious takeaway and watch a Christmas film on Netflix. How does that sound?”

Harry agrees with Louis’ plan so they decide what takeaway sounds the best. Louis makes a very convincing argument for pizza and Harry has to agree. He orders it while Louis starts flipping through Netflix. Once Harry’s done ordering their food he goes to help Louis pick out a movie.

“Oooh, what about Mean Girls?”

Louis gives him a scowl. “Mean Girls is many great things but it is _not_ a Christmas movie.”

“They do the Jingle Bell Rock dance though,” Harry retorts, starting to do the dance himself but tripping over his feet.

“Love, please don’t embarrass yourself.” Louis looks like he’s holding back laughter. “Besides, Love Actually is on here and I haven’t seen it in a while.”

“What?! Oh, Lou, we have to watch it. It’s one of my favorites!” Harry makes his way to his spot on the couch and grabs his comfiest blanket out from the basket they keep them in on the floor. “I’m ready!” He gives a few small pats on the couch next to him, indicating Louis should sit there.

Louis lets out a small laugh and joins Harry on the couch, legs tangling together under the blanket, cuddling up close while they wait for the pizza to be delivered. It takes about 20 minutes before it gets there and then they eat in silence again, only hearing the sounds of the movie. When they’re done, Louis quickly gets up and takes care of all the rubbish before finding his place back on the couch, completely cuddled up against Harry’s side. And Harry… he lives for the moments like this.

He lets his arm wrap around Louis wherever it can, somewhere near his hips he’s guessing. His hand is near the bottom hem of Louis’ shirt, not touching his skin, but close enough that he can feel the heat radiating off of his body. It prompts Louis to move closer to Harry, one of his hands resting on Harry’s thigh. It’s a position they’ve been in before but everything seems so much _more_ between them nowadays. It makes Harry get stuck in his thoughts again, but they’re different now. He starts thinking about how he really doesn’t want this night to end. The tree they decorated together is the only source of light in the flat currently, save for the television. One of his favorite movies is on television. And he has Louis practically in his lap.

Yeah, it doesn’t really get better than this.

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

The day of Louis’ birthday party finally comes around. Every morning leading up to it he’d yell at Harry how many more days were left. It seemed to Harry that he was excited. And Harry was too. He likes hosting so having their flat packed full of friends with good drinks and good music? Sign him up.

Harry is finishing up the last bit of cleaning while Louis compiles his playlist for the night. He’s leaving off basically any Christmas related music besides _All I Want for Christmas Is You_ because “It’s a fucking classic, Harry. And it’s my birthday party so I pick the music.” Harry wasn’t one to argue with that.

When he looks at the clock he realizes there won’t be much longer before the lads come over. They wanted to get there a little early before all their other mates show up. Harry finishes setting out whatever alcohol they have on the kitchen counter and tells Louis that he’s going to shower before everyone shows up.

By the time Harry is done in the shower and getting himself dressed in his bedroom, he can hear the other lads arrive. Just as he’s pulling on his trousers someone knocks on his door.

“Come in,” Harry tells whoever it is as he’s grabbing a shirt off of his hanger. Just as he’s finishing putting it on, Zayn walks through the door.

“Couldn’t wait to see me, mate?” Harry jokes.

Zayn rolls his eyes as he sits on the bed. “Had to see your beautiful face as soon as I got here!” Harry snorts and lets Zayn continue. “I just wanted to see how you were doing since our talk.”

Harry has seen the lads since his talk with Zayn but neither of them had mentioned it. Harry was grateful for that because he didn’t want to risk anyone else overhearing when he hasn’t told Louis yet. Or worse, _Louis_ overhearing.

“I’ve been good. Haven’t been overthinking as much since I decided to tell him.”

“That’s good, mate,” Zayn tells him. “Do you know when you’ll talk to him?”

Harry hasn’t really figured that part out yet. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to tell him tonight because we will probably both get drunk and it’s his birthday party. I have that gift for him that definitely is more than platonic. I guess it’d have to be Christmas then. Or his birthday.” Harry visibly cringes. “Never mind, I don’t think I’d want to do it on his birthday. Christmas it is then.”

Zayn nods, “Well, mate. I’d say good luck but like I’ve already told you I think you’ll be fine. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Z. I appreciate your help, even if it was just to let me ramble and figure things out on my own.”

Laughing, Zayn says, “That’s what I’m here for! Now let’s go get sloshed.”

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

The party has been in full swing for a few hours now and Harry is on his way to drunk. He’s seen Louis on and off but with so many of his friends there he wasn’t expecting to hold his attention the whole time, as much as he wished he could. The music is blasting in the living room, but it fills up the space of their flat. Their decently sized kitchen is the perfect size for drinking games at the table with easy access to the beer and alcohol. Harry’s in there now getting his next drink. It’s not that he doesn’t know how many he’s had, it’s just that he wasn’t really counting in the first place.

Once he’s all settled with his drink he decides to wander around the flat, maybe chat to some people. He talks to Niall, who brought Shawn along, and a few of Louis’ friends from back home before he finally sees the man of the night. “Lou!” His voice is louder than it usually is, but then again there is a room full of people with music playing loudly in the background.

Louis wraps his arm around Harry’s waist and cuddles in close. “Hi, love. Having fun?”

Harry is quick to nod as his arm rests around Louis’ shoulders. “Yeah, of course. Are you? It is your party.”

“Don’t worry, I’m having a great time. Just talked with Stan for about twenty minutes so I’m off to get another beer! I’m not feeling very drunk though. Can’t tell if that’s a good or a bad thing.”

“Probably a good thing so you won’t have a hangover tomorrow.” He takes a sip of his drink as Louis nods along, either to Harry’s words or the music that’s playing. “Although I should probably get some water soon.”

Louis laughs and tells him he’ll be back in a second but Harry pulls on his arm as he goes to walk away. “Lou, what’s going on over there?” He points to two people Louis went to uni with kissing in the doorway to the kitchen. He may not know them very well but he’s almost positive they’re not together.

“Mistletoe! Niall brought it. I would’ve been mad at him for bringing a _holiday themed item_ to my party but,” Louis shrugs, “he had a good argument for it.”

Harry wants to ask Louis to elaborate but the latter suddenly gets pulled away by someone else. Instead he just watches him walk away, sighing at the hopes of kissing Louis under the mistletoe. Him being cuddled up to Harry’s side for just a few minutes has been the highlight of his evening so far. He tries to not let himself get sad about it so he downs the rest of his drink and goes to find Zayn, vowing to only drink water from that point on.

His vow of water only gets sidetracked once he finds Zayn, with Liam, doing shots. Harry can tell Liam has had quite a bit more to drink than Zayn because he’s pulling on Harry’s arm once they spot each other, yelling, “Shots! Harry, shots!”

“I’m supposed to be drinking water now,” he hears Liam make a noise of protest, “but I will do one shot with you.” Harry isn’t really a fan of shots but he figures it’ll be his last drink of the night so why not get a little bit more drunk before switching over to boring water?

Zayn, Liam, and Harry all throw back their shots at the same time, each one making a grimacing face at the taste. “Well lads,” Harry says to them both, “I definitely need some water now.”

He grabs a bottle from the fridge and goes back over to Zayn. He doesn’t see Liam anywhere but Zayn tells him that he went off to find Niall.

“I told Louis I’d switch to water,” Harry says out of nowhere, mostly just wanting to bring Louis up into conversation.

“Yeah?” Zayn seems partially interested for Harry’s sake.

“Yeah, he said he wasn’t feeling that drunk so he probably won’t have a hangover. I didn’t really fancy being the only one having one tomorrow morning.”

“Nah, mate. I think you just fancy Louis,” Zayn’s laughing now. He’s not making much sense but it’s probably because they’ve both been drinking. Harry doesn’t respond to Zayn which spurs him on. “Actually, I _know_ you do because you told me!” He sounds proud of himself.

“Will you shut the fuck up? I don’t want anyone to hear you,” Harry hisses. They’re standing in the kitchen, but off to the side with their backs to anyone else that comes in. Harry thinks he should look behind him to see if anyone is listening but doesn’t want to risk drawing more attention to them.

Zayn tries to reassure him. “No one is going to hear me. Nobody is even paying attention to us. Besides, you said you’re going to tell Louis soon anyway. Christmas isn’t that far away and you said you’d do it then.”

Once again, Harry doesn’t reply. Instead he listens to the music pouring out of the living room. Fuck, he can’t believe Christmas is only a few days away. He might start panicking soon. The song that was playing fades out and a new one starts. Harry’s convinced he’s going to lose his mind when he hears the first few notes of the next song playing and Mariah Carey’s voice ringing out.

Harry groans, “He’s all I want for Christmas. Fuck. What am I gonna do, Zayn?”

Zayn shrugs and very simply says, “Tell him.”

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄

The next time Harry looks at the clock it’s just gone about 12.45 in the morning. He’s not sure how many people had shown up to the party but by now there’s only a handful, mostly just the lads and a few of Louis’ close friends that he doesn’t see often. They’re all sitting around in the living room talking. The music was turned off once most people started leaving around midnight and the ones that are here now are trying to sober up. Harry’s been cuddled up into Louis’ side, head resting on his shoulder, for a while now and has managed to tune out the conversation. He’s not feeling too drunk anymore, mostly starting to get a little sleepy, however he knows they’ll want to do some cleaning up before they go to bed so they won’t have to do it tomorrow.

Louis moves around and jostles him from his thoughts. Harry looks up at him with a confused face so Louis explains. “Everyone else is leaving, love. Don’t you wanna say goodbye?”

Harry nods and starts standing up. He says his goodbyes to the friends of Louis he doesn’t know as well and hugs all his mates. Zayn whispers to him, “Good luck” one last time. Harry gives him a grateful smile. He’s not sure what he’d do without Zayn.

He lets Louis say his goodbyes and starts cleaning up around the kitchen so he doesn’t disrupt their final conversations by the door. He’s busy throwing away cups and wiping down the table when Louis walks into the kitchen. “You don’t have to do that, babe,” he tells him, walking up to Harry and hugging him from behind. “We can worry about it tomorrow morning.”

“That’s what I was trying to avoid,” Harry says as he keeps on cleaning. He’s doing his best to not act affected by Louis’ arms around him. “At least let me finish up in here? It’s probably the worst of it.”

Louis agrees that they might as well finish up in the kitchen and starts helping. They’re fairly quiet, not really choosing to have a conversation. Harry thinks Louis is humming something but if he is, it’s so quiet he can’t tell what it is.

They’re just about done when Louis decides to speak up. “Oh, I have a present for you,” he mentions to Harry.

“For me? It’s your birthday party.” Harry is bewildered.

“Well I have something for you and I want to give it to you now. If that’s okay?” Louis seems a little nervous so Harry nods reassuringly. “Great. I’ll go get it if you want to just wait in the living room.”

Harry does as asked and gets a little nervous himself wondering what Louis could’ve gotten him. He’s not sure why it couldn’t have waited until Christmas either but that’s neither here nor there.

Louis comes out of his room but doesn’t walk to where Harry can see him yet. “Can you, uh, close your eyes?” This only adds to Harry’s nervousness but he complies because he can tell it’s important to Louis.

Harry can tell Louis is in the room, can hear his soft breathing, but doesn’t try to rush him. He hears him take a few more deep breaths before asking Harry to open his eyes.

The only thing Harry notices is Louis standing right in front of him. He doesn’t have anything in his hands. Harry looks up to ask where the gift is when he notices a big, shiny silver bow on Louis’ head. Harry’s eyes widen and he looks at Louis who looks away. There’s a deep flush over his cheeks and he’s nervously twisting his hands in front of his stomach.

“Lou, what...?” Harry starts to ask but he gets cut off.

“I heard I’m all you want for Christmas.”

Harry’s heart positively sinks. He feels mortified and it must show on his face because Louis is quick to reassure him.

“No, no, no! I’m not making fun of you. Fuck. I didn’t even think it’d sound like that.” He pulls the bow off of his head, wincing as the tape sticks to a few hairs. “God, I’m so stupid. I thought it would work since I heard you say that to Zayn earlier and-”

Now it’s Harry’s turn to interrupt. “You heard me say that? Oh god, Lou.” Harry buries his face into his hands. He feels the couch dip down next to him and Louis’ protective arm wrap around his waist.

“No, love. I know you’re embarrassed. I’m sorry. You can probably tell I didn’t put much thought into this.” He groans at his own words. “Fuck. That sounds bad too. Okay, let me try again. I’ve been wanting to tell you that I fancy you for a long time now and I didn’t know how to say it. When I overheard you say that to Zayn this idea popped into my head and I kinda just ran with it. I’m sorry. This was poorly thought out on my part.”

“You fancy me?” Harry is only stuck on that one part, moving his hands away from his face and looking at Louis.

“Of course I do, love. How could I not?” Louis’ voice is soft and sweet and it prompts something in Harry.

“Hold on,” he says quickly and jumps up off of the couch. He just left Louis out there with no explanation but once he sees the present Harry got him maybe he’ll understand.

When he returns Louis has the bow in his hands, sticking and unsticking it to his leg. It makes a little _rrrrip!_ noise every time he pulls it back off.

“Here,” Harry thrusts his hands out in front of Louis and hands him the ornament he found at the tree farm. “It’s not wrapped because it was supposed to be a Christmas present.”

Louis stares at it. “Is this what you bought at the shop?”

“Yeah. I saw it when that song was playing and it just seemed like… fate. I had decided right then that I needed to tell you how I felt about you and this was going to be the gift I gave you when I said it. But you kind of beat me to that.”

“Not true, love. You still could’ve done that if I hadn’t been snooping in on your conversation, which I am really sorry about.” His face shows his sincerity.

Sitting down next to him on the couch, Harry lets him know he isn’t upset about that. “Honestly, I’m just glad we’re talking about this. I’ve fancied you since I met you basically. I hadn’t even told any of the lads except Zayn. And that wasn’t until the night we went to the tree farm.”

He cuddles up closer to Harry again, his arms wrapping around his waist. “Oh so that’s why you went to Zayn’s that night?” Louis asks. He rests his head on Harry’s chest.

Harry nods, moved one hand to thread his fingers into Louis’ hair. “I needed to tell someone, especially since I didn’t know if it was a date or not.” A beat passes. “Was it a date?”

“Yes, love, it was a date.” Louis laughs at the sigh he gets from Harry in return. “I didn’t want to label it since I wasn’t sure how you were feeling about it.”

“It was a very good first date,” Harry concludes.

They sit and talk cuddled up on the couch for about an hour longer. Harry learns Louis has fancied him since the beginning of their friendship also but “You became my roommate, love! I didn’t want to make things awkward right after you moved in!” They both decide on their next date, a traditional dinner and movie night. They even discuss the topic of being boyfriends, but decide to wait for that conversation.

Once they realize how late it is they both get up to go to bed. They’re going to sleep in their own beds because, even though they are tactile people, it seems a bit rushed for them to go to bed together so quickly.

Louis is following Harry into the kitchen when he suddenly pauses. Harry feels himself being pulled backward into Louis’ arms. “What are you doing, Lou?”

“Look up, love. The mistletoe is still here.” He grins at Harry. 

Harry doesn’t waste any time leaning down to capture Louis’ lips in a soft kiss. It’s just a gentle press of their lips together, neither of them wanting it to go much further. But it’s exactly what Harry has been waiting for.

As he pulls away he leans his forehead on Louis’. “Happy birthday, Lou.”

“Merry Christmas, love.”

❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄ ❆ ❄  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hiii! I hope you enjoyed my very fluffy Christmas fic! [Here](http://flicker-album.tumblr.com/post/180738072645/make-my-wish-come-true-by-flicker-album) is a rebloggable tumblr post! & thank you to my wonderful beta [ Deanna](http://rainbow-w0lves.tumblr.com) for all her help once again!


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